Recipe card holder



Feb. 1965 H. K. SCHNEIDER RECIPE CARD HOLDER Filed Sept. 24, 1962 I INVENTOR /'/El. EMA. SC'flA/E/Df/P BY 94mg ATTORNEY United States Patent ()fiice 3,168,276 Patented Feb. 2, 1965 3,168,276 RECIPE CARD HOLDER Helen K. Schneider, 1305 Grand Ave., St. Paul 5, Minn. Filed Se t. 24, 1962, Ser. No. 225,509 2 Claims. (Cl. 248206) This invention relates to an improvement in recipe card holder and deals particularly with a simple but effective device for holding a recipe card in a convenient position while the various ingredients are being mixed.

While there are numerous recipe books available on the market, most recipes are printed or written on small cards which may be kept in a card file so that the card may be removed while the various ingredients are being mixed. In many instances, table space is limited, and when a recipe card is placed upon a table or counter, it very often becomes soiled by materials on the table or counter, and are also likely to be soiled if the card is picked up from time to time to more easily read the directions. It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and effective holder which may be applied to any smooth surface, preferably a generally vertical surface, and the holder is so designed that the card may be held in a position where the directions may be readily read during the mixing process.

It is a feature of the present invention to provide a recipe card holder which includes a suction cup which may be applied to any smooth surface, an arm which projects from the suction cup, usually at right angles to the supporting surface, and a card clip which is mounted at the end of the supporting arm, and which is designed to accommodate a recipe card. As a result, the recipe card may be supported at a convenient height so that the directions may be easily read, and where the card cannot become soiled while being used.

It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a recipe card holder of the type described in which a spring clip is provided to hold the recipe card, the spring clip being supported for pivotal movement about a generally vertical axis. With this arrangement, it is possible to read the directions printed or written on one side of the card, and then to turn the card so that the opposite side can be read in the event additional directions are printed on the reverse side of the card.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification;

FIGURE 1 illustrates a perspective view of the recipe card holder in use supporting a recipe card.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view through the apparatus showing the construction thereof.

The recipe card holder is designed to be attached to any smooth generally vertical surface such as the wall A. This wall A may comprise a wall of the room, a windowframe, a windowpane, the side of a refrigerator, or any other convenient generally vertical smooth surface which is in close proximity to the table or counter on which the mixing operation is to take place. In general, the recipe card holder B includes a suction cup which will remain attached to the smooth vertical surface until manually removed. The suction cup 10 includes a concave under surface 11 which forms the suction chamber, and normally includes a central boss 12 on its outer convex surface 13. The boss 12 is provided with a socket 14 designed to accommodate a supporting rod 15. The rod 14 may be frictionally engaged in the socket 14 or may be cemented in place or otherwise aflixed to the suction cup 10. In the particular arrangement illustrated, the rod 15 is formed of plastic and is tapered from the largest diameter end which is engaged in the socket 14 to the outer end 16 which may be laterally flattened if necessary.

A spring clip 17 includes a generally cylindrical upper portion 19 having an enlarged head 20 at its upper end. The head 20 may be formed in the manner of a rivet and pressed or deformed into enlarged form, or the enlarged end can be a nut or similar shoulder threaded on to the upper end of the cylindrical shank 19.

The clip 17 includes a fiat generally rectangular plate 21, and a spring arm 22 which bends away from the plate as indicated at 23, which is bent at 24 to provide a clamping portion 25 inclining toward the plate 21, and an outwardly turned end 26 which is bent to extend away from the plate 21. The lower portion of the arm 22 is spring urged against the plate 21 so as to grip a recipe card such as C between the spring arm and the plate.

The operation of the apparatus is readily apparent from the foregoing description. The card C is inserted between the plate 21 and the spring arm 22 and is held by friction between these parts. The suction cup 10 is mounted at a convenient height on any generally vertical flat surface, and as a result the directions on the card as well as the list of the ingredients is readily visible. If the support B is mounted on a wall A which is behind a table or counter on which the recipe is to be mixed, the card C is swung into a plane substantially normal to the plane of the supporting rod 15. On the other hand, if the support is attached to the side wall of an appliance such as a refrigerator or freezer, the side wall being at right angles to the outer wall, the card may be swung parallel to the supporting rod 15 as indicated in FIGURE 1.

The swivel connection between the shank 19 and the supporting arm 15 permits the card to be rotated through one hundred eighty degrees if desired so that the rear side of the card may be read if desired. The recipe card holder may be mounted in place and left in a fixed position, or may be removed from the supporting wall between uses if it is preferred.

While the rod or arm 15 has been described as made of plastic, obviously this is a matter of choice; and the arm may be of other material such as aluminum or another metal. Furthermore, the particular swivel arrangement may be varied, as long as the clip may pivot about a vertical axis. The clip may comprise any spring clip having clamping arms engaging opposite sides of the card; but the arrangement shown is simple, inexpensive and easy to assemble.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my improvement in recipe card holder, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A recipe card holder including:

a concavo-convex suction cup having a central boss on its convex outer surface,

said boss including an axial generally cylindrical socket,

a single supporting arm of circular cross-section supported in said socket and having an aperture therethrough normal to the axis of the arm and near the end of the arm most remote from said suction cup,

a spring clip supported near the end of the arm most remote from said suction cup,

said clip including a plate member to engage one side of a card, a spring finger integral with said plate and biased toward said plate member to engage the other side of the card plate,

a shank extending from the juncture between said plate member and said spring finger and extending through said aperture on an axis normal to the axis of said arm, and

a head on said shank to hold said shank on said arm to permit free rotation,

said shank andahead being integrally connected to said plate member and. spring finger.

2. A recipe cardholder includin'gz': 3

a concavo-convex suction cup having a central boss onits convex outer surface, said bossfincludingan axial substantially cylindrical socket, a single supporting arm of circular cross section having a substantiallycylindrical end supported in said socket and extending from said socket in coaxial relation to said cup,

a spring clip including a pair of integral clamping members engageable with opposite sides of a recipe card and including a plate and a spring finger biased toward said plate,

a shank integral with 'said clamping members at the juncturerbetween said plate and said spring finger and extending through the end of said arm opposite saidend supported in said socket on an axis normal to the axis of said arms. and.

an integral head on said shank to hold the shank on References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 954,752 Marks Apr. 12, 1910 1,176,586 Megahan Mar. 21, 1916 1,285,890 Anderson Nov. 26, 1918 1,715,602 Jones; June 4, 1929 2,466,195 5 Anderson et' al. .Apr.-5,. 1949 2,549,200 Hooks Apr."17, 1951 2,614,305 Yeardley a.'. Oct. 21, 1952 2,650,870 Carpenter Sept. 1, 19.53 2,690,094 Becker Sept. 28; 1954 2,843,421 Shelton July 15, 1958 2,891,295 Little June 23, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain July 14, 1927 

1. A RECIPE CARD HOLDER INCLUDING: A CONCAVO-CONVEX SUCTION CUP HAVING A CENTRAL BOSS ON ITS CONVEX OUTER SURFACE, SAID BOSS INCLUDING AN AXIAL GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL SOCKET, A SINGLE SUPPORTING ARM OF CIRCULAR CROSS-SECTION SUPPORTED IN SAID SOCKET AND HAVING AN APERTURE THERETHROUGH NORMAL TO THE AXIS OF THE ARM AND NEAR THE END OF THE ARM MOST REMOTE FROM SAID SUCTION CUP, A SPRING CLIP SUPPORTED NEAR THE END OF THE ARM MAOST REMOTE FROM SAID SUCTION CUP, SAID CLIP INCLUDING A PLATE MEMBER TO ENGAGE ONE SIDE OF A CARD, A SPRING INTEGRAL WITH SAID PLATE AND BIASED TOWARD SAID PLATE MEMBER TO ENGAGE THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CARD PLATE, A SHANK EXTENDING FROM THE JUNCTURE BETWEEN SAID PLATE MEMBER AND SAID SPRING FINGER AND EXTENDING THROUGH SAID APERTURE ON AN AXIS NORMAL TO THE AXIS OF SAID ARM, AND A HEAD ON SAID SHANK TO HOLD SAID SHANK ON SAID ARM TO PERMIT FREE ROTATION, SAID SHANK AND HEAD BEING INTEGRALLY CONNECTED TO SAID PLATE MEMBER AND SPRING FINGER. 